For those who fancy themselves chefs or self-proclaimed good cooks, I would love to put together recipes, experiences, cooking tips, advice that nutures the Soul. With the meal, we nurture the body, but we also nurture the Soul. It is often said that the kitchen is the Heart of the home. So, what does your hearth have to share?

I can begin, but I warn all who read, portions are loose...I cook in the old way, by watching and tasting...

1. Crack the eggs in bowl and whip,
2.then add the rest of the ingrediants and blend well.
In the meantime, heat a non-stick fry pan to slow-medium heat
3. Dip the sliced bread, one slice at a time, into the mixture and soak thoroughly. (Be careful not to oversoak. The bread will tear if too wet.)
4.Place a pat of butter in the pan. (The butter will burn if the heat is too high. Watch the heat.)
5. Place two to three pieces of bread in the pan at time.
6.When golden brown on one side, flip and do the same on the other side.
7.Serve with maple syrup or sweet topping of your choice. It is wonderful stand alone, with fresh fruit or with other breakfast items.

I make this nearly everyday for my son. It takes 5-10 minutes from start to finish.

Place the meat on a pan in the oven to brown. Salt and pepper the meat. Brown on both sides.
In the meantime, chop all the vegetables and set aside.
Brown the onions and garlic in the stewpot with a little bit of olive oil.
Open all the can of tomatoes and soak the mushrooms in hot water. (Mushrooms: fill a cup halffull with hot water, place the mushrooms in the water. Place a smaller cup in size on top of the mushrooms so that the mushrooms are submerged in the water. They tend to float when they are dry. When they are thoroughly soaked, take out of the water, chop and add to the mix, then add the water.)
Add the tomatoes to the stewpot, then the carrots, then the celery.
Chop all the herbs and add.
Season the sauce.
Finally, add the meat.
Add wine and balsamic vinegar. Just a splash. Too much wine will make it sour, too much balsamic will make it sweet.
Cook on medium heat (or bubbling) until the meat is fork tender (approximately 2-4 hours)

Tips:
1.Do not add sugar to the mix. The carrots and balsamic will give it the right amount of sweetness.
2.Continue to stir the mixture and taste as you go. The sauce will change in consistency and flavor over time. The flavors will mellow and blend. It should have a smooth flavor, not sharp.
3.Add the meat last so that it is easy to stir the sauce. It becomes more difficult to stir and blend when the meat is in the pot.
4. Do not let the meat stick to the bottom and burn. Again, keep stirring.
5. This is a family recipe and all flavoring is to taste. So, use your taste. Add or delete. It is better to start with less and add as you go.
6. The sauce is best served the second day. Really!
7. The sauce freezes very well. Save some for later if you like.
8. Serve over pasta, rice or crusty bread.

Well now, I am looking at the recipes and I know right away that none of you are chefs, as the French say. True, that I knew Julia Child, because I worked for Public Television for many years, and she autographed many of her books for me...maybe I'll put them on Ebay..nah....I want them to always be mine...but we got to eat the things that she made at the end of her shows. We learned that there is, indeed, a breakfast wine. What I learned is technique, but not recipes. As, you use what you have to maximize taste and flavor, no matter how humble the ingredients are. I read another post about chicken soup.....and that was nice.....but to make a good chicken soup you throw stuff in a big pot and cook it.....it is that simple! It always comes out good...because it is chicken and love. To me, cooking is like an artist with a blank canvas and a pallette of ingredients. I must paint the canvas with a pleasing sight, scent, and taste. I could tell you good things to make, but could not for the life of me tell you how to do it...for instance, I am going to make Lablabi (spellings vary) a dish that comes from Africa, and Tunisians favor this for breakfast of all things...but I know the ingredients...and though I have no recipe, I will match mine against the best chef in Tunis. Simply because he and I are one....one in the brotherhood of the stove.

Wow Marty - so you mean you don't scrape off the mucky scum when the chicken has come to a boil ? And you put the meat and veg in at the same time ... ?

... Dear Cara & dear Lori - I will just have to have Marty's share of your wonderful-sounding repasts then .... Mmm !x

Back to my wheat-free bread, non-cow's milk cheese & water (Adam's Ale, as some call it ........)

... and that brotherhood of the stove thing Marty, is that anything to do with DocJ and the possibility of everyone being on the point of spontaneous combustion ? (ha ha - the 'a little favour' thread refers)

Cara...Holy Soul Food, Bat Lady! That looks like a winner to me....incredible!!!! I have to do that one up for sure, thank you! I have printed it and it proudly rests on my fridge door! It reminds me of the old world southern Italian type of cooking..very red, very rustic..my all time favorite type of food....My first husband's family did the real traditional stuff, especially on Catholic holidays, Easter, Christmas, etc...stewed Rabbit ( never touched it, thanks very much)..braised bragiolle, (sp?) dropping whole eggs into the simmering pot of sauce..home made sausages, and of course the fishes on Christmas Eve....all these sauces served over made from scratch pastas....home baked breads...I feel like I need to diet/fast just by reading this thread!!!!!!

MMMMM I hear you about the kitchen, too, Cara..and how you communed with your mother in law through food. It is our communion, so to speak. In my home, it happens to be the biggest room in the house, we all eat together, every night, which is rather fortunate in these times and I consider that a blessing...that we always eat dinner together and on Sunday we will have a big meal about 4 PM, and laze around. I admit that sometimes we don't even sit down!!!! (except on Sunday)...We just hover around the stove, LOL..! Funny...just a bad if not hilarious habit...Saturday everyone is free to roam, as that tends to be the day that we eat out somewhere, just the hubmeister and myself...Also, my house tends to be the Home For My Children's Wayward Friends And Friends Of Friends....which makes it that much more, um...shall we say, rich! Food does indeed bring people together. Thanks for a great thread, my friend
xo to all!

Just made a Portabella Mushroomy dish that I served with pasta.Almost totally veggie, except I used some no salt beef stock to fortify the sauce, with not a hint....but a hit of rosemary. Man, that was good! The girlies didn't like it.....they preferred their Sophisticat "Captains Table Entree" which (to me) looks and smells like all the other stuff they eat...uh, this one has a little more gravy....Poppy sticks her head in the can to lick it all up and gets stuck....she is not my brightest sun on the horizon!Now, as to the matter of Havarti......I am fine, how are you??Seriously, I love all cheeses, and particulary Land O' Lakes (not necessarily the brand, but the place). Wissss has got the cheesehead thing, and I am down with it!

And, in closing, we come to some profound issues.......my allegiance is to my school, so I say "Fear the Turtle"....doesn't that just sound so ridiculous! We gotta dumb tortoise for a mascot!!!! Next, I go with any Catholic school vs an opponent, which makes it difficult when we play Boston College, whom God gave the "Hail Mary Pass" to by divine intervention. For those of you who do not believe in miracles, go on YouTube and watch Doug Flutie throw the "Hail Mary" against Miama (another one of the Turtles foes)...and enjoy instant miracle!!!Third, I go with if I like their uniforms and helmets......which is why I hate all teams from Oregon.....and last.....I go with the mascots....AND I HAPPEN TO LIKE THE HUSKIES...beautiful gorgeous dogs!!!!! Unless they play the COUGARS....CATPOWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posts: 339Location: No I'm not impersonating a cat! I'm a laughing Owl

ArmyT....like that? How many names can we make out of MARTY...

Did you see the article Julia Childs was a spy? I laughed so hard....maybe so but what was she selling to the other side? Our great American Recipes?

Greatest kept secrets "How Americans make Turkey taste so good....."they buy Butterball"....another top secret that we all know is well kept "How Americans make wonderful Hamburgers...."they pay a clown to make them, his name is.......top secret clearance needed to get this one....Ronald McDonald. I'm sure the French paid her top dollar for that sort of information. I absolutely love to watch the old Julia cook shows...

haha! Chef a la Rose! Love it! Gee I didn't even realize I was still logged in, I left the house over 2 hours ago and just got back! Cook up a storm friend..tonight just a quick salad here...

hey..I heard about the 14 students and 1 teacher that are missing in the Gila forest area ( not sure of the name it it ) in NM? How frightening and horrible for all involved...I hope there is a quick resolution...

Wow! I didn't think this post would bring up any rivalry. GOes to show youwhat I know! Anyway, food is a passion of mine. As Lori so delighfully put it, it brings people together. And, I too love to bring the 'strays' who are in need of a good meal. My bachelor friends were always champing at the bit, waiting for an invitation to dinner years ago. Not so much these days with my demure little family. I think I was trying to satisfy an urge to feed a family. So, I created one with friends with I could dine.

Anyway, there is always plenty of good eating Chez Kiddo and you are all welcome. The food is hot and the conversation heated!

ANd, Lori, too true with the So. Italian eats! My father's family hails from Chicago (by way of Calabria and Puglia) though he spent many years in Phoenix and San Francisco. All my aunties (of which there must be dozens) would push food into our little faces. All homemade: ravioli, sausages, bragiole, osso bucco, cannoli, you name it.

P.S. Just made two large stockpots full of sauce for upcoming birthday party. My dad was very excited to see all of burns going!

And, Marty, I would venture to say that I would put any of these Old World grannies up to Julia Childs in a heartbeat. I remember one of my friend's grandmothers teaching me how to make strudel and other treats one Easter. SHe barely spoke English; she was Slovenian. We worked all 6 or 7 of us in a small kitchen until we had made enough strudel and sweets and other delicacies for a party of 60 people. We then roasted 2 lambs on spits on an open fire in the backyard.

Did Julia do this on her show? In Slovenian??? With a group of budding springtime maidens as the young boys darted in and out of the kitchen to catch a glimpse of what was going on? This old crone was a true queen!

Oh Boy! Yes, love the playful banter going on here, in a net of safety and caring!!! You tell him, Cara! Oh, Marty..is it true what we heard last night ( after all, everything you see on TV is true, right )? that Julia Child was also into espionage? Also, if we ever get the opportunity to be together, I will have to demonstrate my award winning imitation of Julia Child's "This is Julia Child. Bon Appetit"!!! Seriously, in homage to this force of nature known as Julia and with thanks to public television who helped launch her to the general public, I am grateful...because that was the beginning of a beautiful connection between the homemaker and a classically trained French chef. It sparked a huge interest in cooking, and launched itself into inspiration for many of us. . . as well as for TV networks who primarily demonstrate the art of cooking! That being said I do not think that you can compare a classically trained culinary master to generations of communing over food, generations of families coming together, recipes being passed down, and over, through marriage and friendship...one is not better than the next, so to speak, each has it's own beauty and meaning. We are all masters of our own kitchens.

Julia Child is a ( was ) a fabulous French Chef who has been made famous through public television...she is known best also for her uh..frequent nips in the sauce, shall we say...and had a personality larger than life, along with a very distinctive voice!

Oh sorry to Cara and Paul as I neglected to respond to points you both raised. The Gila (not sure if it is a national forest, or what have you ) is in New Mexico where this week students and their teacher were reported missing...any news on that, Rose? Gonna check it out myself, too...

And Cara last but not least, Southern Italy! No wonder we connect, girl! My father's people hail from Salerno...

yum! I hope it was lucsious!! You know, when I was in London almost 10 years ago, I couldn't even tell you where I ate- other than the hotel I was in, because I was only there for 2 days, and saw the usual sites such as Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guards, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, etc..it is the most amazing city...I adore London! During the same trip, we drove our car onto the ferry at the White Cliffs, which took us to Calais, then we drove to Paris. It happens it was Valentine's Day, and we went into this little place, had an amazing chicken and wonderful drinks..and it was the night of a soccer match between the UK and either France or Ireland...but there were patrons there on behalf of each team..and I have never witnessed such pride, grown men ( and I have photos of this )! standing on tables as the match was televised, singing their own national anthems with tears in their eyes( and drinks in their hands ) ...and the bunch of them coaxed me, "The American Girl" ) who hardly depicts what the average American looks like - whatever that is...however I look quite Mediterranean , ie olive complexion, black hair and brown eyes- to sing my own national anthem!! I will always look back on that trip, and smile!

Yup...she was OSS...the forerunner of the CIA, she married into a spy culture. . She was still a good cook and, if you want to dig deep into a mystery of history, she maintained a friendship with another French chef....and he has a very elusive past.....I will give you a hint....they did a series of shows together before she died. Early on I learned from my Mom, since my Dad couldn't boil an egg without ruining it. When my Mom went to work, and my Dad "cooked" that became the open door for me to step up, as he couldn't make anything that me and my sisters would eat. I copied what my Mom did...and then enhanced it.....becoming the primary source of food for the Ruppert family. And, I enjoyed being in the "kitchen". I was pleased to know Julia, and will never forget "breakfast wine".Now, I admire many tv chefs....though I think that they have gotten to "full" of themselves. I loved Justin, a N'ahleens (New Orleans, Louisiana) chef. And, I have a mad crush on Rachel Ray...I'd love to be in a steamy kitchen with her...all sweaty and hot! Maybe because I think she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. On the same token, I HATE Bobby Flay for so many reasons that I cannot write....starting with his disrespect of the Jap chefs when he first appeared on the real "Iron Chef". I would love to have an opportunity to cook face to face with him and see who is the best......imagine his chagrin when I come out the winner! I cannot boast of anything except that I can cook, and really good. I have no recipes, just ideas and methodology. I sometimes have failures, but most often, I make things that blow people away from the diningroom table, and bring them back lapping up more!PBS has this show called "Everlasting Feast", very spiritual, very satisfying, usually cited in Kali or Oregon or Washington.......sometimes on my coast. Perhaps UMS will someday have a little get together in wherever....maybe ArCATa, and I will have the honor to cook for you all!Better yet, we all join and make an "Everlasting Feast"....my baking skills are poor!

Posts: 339Location: No I'm not impersonating a cat! I'm a laughing Owl

So Julia was a spy? Oh...who cares that woman taught me how to make one of the best omelets and how to set up an omelet bar and I just loved her shows! It's so hard to imagine sweet Julia as anything other than a chef...cheffette!

Marty....I adore people who put their heart and souls into their cooking and I suspect that you are amongst that elite class...a class of people who seem to be growing more and more extinct....Rachel Ray! I adore her as well.

Instinctual and Cara have shared some really wonderful recipes and if I'm not mistaken I believe Paul did too.

So when you get the wonderful Castle we'll all have a chance to take turns being head chef in the kitchen and putting forth our best foot in order to WOW the others....

Much Love and Peace to you...now off with sweet dreams of magnificent dinners and a crowd of warm loving friends to share that with.

Ahhhhh.....Rosehips.....It may be sooner than you think! In the meantime, read or re-read the classic childrens story, called "Stone Soup." I love that story. To me, it is the epitome of what we are talking about!

Oh My Gawd! I thought you were joking, Paul, when you said who is Julia. SO, I looked her up. All these years I thought she was English. She was born here is SoCal. She just has an affected way of speaking which made me think she was English. And, she was sort of pinched. Probably the stuffy Pasadena upbringing and New England education are to blame. She always reminded me of the English dog training lady, "walkies!". Please don't take any offense, my English compadres!

And, yes, she used to nip the sauce a bit too often on the show while she was cooking. She was perfectly pickled!...but really a home chef icon.

btw, chef de cuisine (English parlance has shortened it to 'chef'...but I am sure my savvy friends already know this...) literally translated is boss of the kitchen. And, I can rightly say that all of us are just that.

Yahuh.....she was a Kali girl. And, true, she loved to test the wine that she was using in making her Coq au Vin. As did we all!Funny, she was more relaxed when the shows were live on old NET (National Educational Television) then when they were rehearsed and taped for PBS. Her home station was WGBH, Boston. We had her for a while, because she had things going on in Washington, DC, our home station WETA. Ahhh.....the memories!!!!!!!!

Peace, Marty and Sleepy Cats, Lucklylee (kitchen floor), Poppyhead (in front of the screen, making it hard for me to see) and SissyGirl (on Phobos by now....heading further into the solar system).

Dear Sir Marty - Anacapri, Marylebone, old fashioned Italian, not the usual kind of shabat but the in-laws are aged and its the only time they get out .. thanks 'twas nice ..and Cara - are you saying we English are 'affected' and 'pinched' - ah but remember, she is not as you say, English really !!

Ah yes, I guess the kindest thing one can say about Julia's speech is that it was interesting and that she had a speech impediment ( or did the public have a receptive impediment to her speech )? I didn't know she was from Cali..ahahaa! That makes it even more interesting...and Graham...before he "cleaned up" I guess you can say, he always seemed to be one step behind the gutter... (wink) I wonder if that is why I love him so much? hahaha! -...speaking of interesting is the Jeff Smith thing...I always sensed a bit of some sort of chemistry between him and his helpers..I recall there being 2 different ones over time? And you mention WGBH Boston! Being in CT, channel 13 , Fairfield County CT's public station... was WGBH sometimes, and the New York station..WNET intermittently. I grew up watching ZOOM- WGBH! The Electric Company! Sesame Street! Mr. Roger's Neighborhood! Anyway, Lydia..what is her name, that classy Italian broad that could be any Italian's Aunt Lydia...amazing dishes...and of course I do not remember this lady's name...but I know with a description Marty, you can name her right off the bat...dark hair, lowwwww forehead....when she referred to measurements she would always say. . .

"Ooh...about ...that much"....I know you know who I mean! And yupperoni....Rachel Ray is simply and edibley adorable! I think there is no gray area with Rachel. People either love her or really really do not love her! My son in law Rich loooooooooves Giada...and it is not for her cooking abilities, shall we say!!!!! ( grrrr )....I have to say I agree with you about Bobby Flay, although I would not stand on ceremony so much as to refuse one of his meals, in fact I ate at one of his restaurants in NYC- Mesa Grill..and it was wonderful... My all time favorite is Mario. He is so eloquent in speech, so smart and incorporates so much geographical knowledge and culinary history into his meals...and so cute with those orange rubber clogs! ..oh and Mart...before I forget, do tell about the "breakfast wine"...??? ( my initial reaction is...bleeechhhh )!!

Anyway, I would love to have an event with my UMS kindreds and I will reach out so far as to say this- IF you can all make it to Tucson at the same time..I will host this amazing event of love, cooking, fellowship, healing and laughter!

Ahh Marty - just re-read and clicked the Stone Soup story in my brain ... yes, good fairy tale that one.

Holy pidgeon grammar Lori: I was just messing around with multi-cultural lingo; I was trying to convey, me as well, in London; ie, if anyone is venturing over this way, please let me know, if so desired, and some kind of meeting or another would be nice ! sorry to be opaque

Heeeheee. Personally I love the aussie take home chef. You know that hat sexy aussie dude whom chicks secretly getted all dolled up for and wander the aisles of schmancy designer petits groceries???....in hopes that his TV crew will happen upon them with their shopping cart and fix a scrumptious meal from home? I think it is hysterical, desperate and charming all at the same time.

Oh Dear, Paul, did I upset you? I hope not. Goes to show you that I can be too outspoken. I just thought Julia Childs was like that dog training lady. I knew her as the "walkies" lady. And, she used to jerk the chain so hard on those poor little pups! (And, Paul, if you haven't already, check out a film clip of Julia CHilds when you get a chance...It really is comical.)

.... typing on a keyboard to a screen can open up much room for misunderstanding cannot it not, though ?!

.......... and with such a ratatouille of culture as we have in the Board community/Fellowship of this particular Ring, it is something of an interesting experiment in international cooperation and development !!